AT&T to Restrict or Charge for FaceTime Over 3G/4G in iOS 6? [Updated With AT&T Statement]

macrumors bot

As noted in our ongoing iOS 6 Beta 3 discussion thread, it appears that AT&T will be restricting and possibly charging for the new FaceTime-over-3G-network feature in iOS 6. Prior to iOS 6, FaceTime was a Wi-Fi-only service.

The following error message appears for AT&T customers in iOS 6 when trying to activate FaceTime over cellular networks:

The error message is similar to one given to AT&T customers who wish to enable data tethering under iOS. AT&T requires users to pay for a separate tethering data plan to enable that feature.

At the time of the original iOS 6 announcement, we had reported that many carriers were quiet of the prospect of allowing FaceTime over their cellular networks. An AT&T spokesperson said that they were "working closely with Apple on features disclosed for iOS 6, and we'll share more information with our customers as we get closer to launch." We are reaching out to AT&T for an update or statement on their plans.

9to5Mac also notes the same behavior on AT&T networks and found the same error message did not appear when trying to activate FaceTime over Verizon's 3G networks.

Update: AT&T issued this statement, which is very similar to the one issued back in June:

Quote

We're working closely with Apple on the new developer build of iOS 6 and
we'll share more information with our customers as it becomes available.

macrumors 6502

Yep and if ATT thinks I'm paying extra they can kiss my ass. I hope to god T-MO gets the iPhone this year. I'll take my 4 iPhone family somewhere else. I have not had any issues with ATT service wise, but this will push me to another carrier.

macrumors regular

I posted the same thing on the 9to5 forums; as soon as they posted that story, I attempted to make FaceTime calls with my iPhone that was updated to beta 3 today. I had no issues placing and receiving 4 separate FaceTime calls over 4G this evening. Maybe it's just my phone, I don't know. But it worked fine for me.

macrumors 6502

macrumors god

Staff Member

I posted the same thing on the 9to5 forums; as soon as they posted that story, I attempted to make FaceTime calls with my iPhone that was updated to beta 3 today. I had no issues placing and receiving 4 separate FaceTime calls over 4G this evening. Maybe it's just my phone, I don't know. But it worked fine for me.

macrumors G4

Honestly I kind of LIKE having this broken out so I have the chance to not pay for it.

The fact that Verizon now makes you pay for unlimited voice and texts no matter what you want makes them a non-starter for me. I kind of like the idea of a carrier that lets me not pay for certain things. (And this certainly is one of those things that I wouldn't pay for.)

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